https://charlierose.com/videos/29774 - Interview with Bill Gates & Warren Buffet
I have watched Mr Rose on and off for 20+ years now. After last night's typical fluff interview with two of the richest men in the world - I will take another long if permanent break. Charlie has the gift of gab but has always shied away from the real deal questions - always on the surface and polite and never digs deep for the truth. Most likely a combo of his polite southern gentlemen roots and the fact that he is a millionaire now and wants to keep it that way. It's also a generational thing. He, like his two .01% rich guests are just plain out of touch with around 85% of We the People of the USA who are just a couple of paychecks from poverty and are not doing as well as our parents who lived during a golden age of American history post WW II when incomes and the cost of living were in some kind of balance. This all started to end in the 1980s when President Ronald Reagan and Treasure Secretary Donald Regan (weird name correlation) sold out our country to the corporations of which Buffet and Gates have benefited greatly as in the lowest and irresponsible (during 2 of longest wars put on our deficit to the tune of 6 trillion) capital gains tax of 15% as compared to 1950s last decent Republican President Eisenhower's 90% - to become the richest men in the planet based on stock market monopoly money speculation. Firstly - God bless them both for their great philanthropic work around the world - although I worry about Gates and testing corporations taking over our school systems which is happening. Whereas Gates was unapologetic about his ridiculous wealth - At least Buffet still seems to have a little empathy for the average worker in his opinions on fair taxes and some kind of government income for displaced workers that are part of the "roadkill" of world trade and old and unable to learn new skills - and at least acknowledged the insane income discrepancies between the top 1% an the rest of us. One very important issue where these men are totally out of touch with reality is the unsustainable nature of the GDP growth index used as a religious measurement of economic health. It is actually quite the opposite - where the growth by any means necessary international trade and GDPs are what is destroying the planet's environment and is only truly enjoyed by the top 1% who reap all the reward off the blood, sweat and tears = labor of the majority of humans on the planet who are all sick and tired of being sick and tired while the 1% rakes in the profits and has quadrupled their wealth over the last 40 years - again, since the corporate take over of America. What good is all this wealth anyway if the water and air is all poisoned and everyone is getting cancer? When Buffet was content with promoting 2% GDP growth and clueless Mr Rose was pushing for 3-4% - Buffet said - this 2% will be plenty and "more stuff" to be made and sold - as if more stuff is what humans need - especially in the west where we already have too much stuff and 90% of it ends up in toxic landfills - like all the planned obsolescence gadgets that need to be replaced every few years - that of course is never brought up by Rose to one of the biggest polluters in the world - Gates with his Microsoft software in every PC on the planet. These are real deal issues that can no longer be ignored by the older generation that thinks more stuff is going to solve all our problems when in reality making more unnecessary and often distracting stuff - and all the toxic resources involved, is one of the biggest problems/issues facing humanity in the 21st century. As far as truth seeking journalists - I will stick to Amy Goodman on Democracynow.org - and put corporate CBS sellout Charlie Rose on the shelf again - for good. God bless this human made mess!
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